http://waterbuttsdirect.co.uk/

http://www.waterbutts.com/

http://www.dobbies.co.uk/acatalog/Water-Butts.html

http://www.suttons.co.uk/Shop/Gardening+Equipment/Watering+Equipment/Water+Butts/List/?gclid=CKWf9I2o2JoCFQ0FZgod-xhI2Q

http://www.mygreenerhome.co.uk/water-butts-14/750-litre-wall-tank-water-butt-71.html

http://www.selections.com/garden-products/irrigation/water-butts/

http://www.crocus.co.uk/products/_/tools/water-butts/prcid.97/

A water butt is an absolute necessity in winter when the rain seems to keep on falling .

Such a shame to let it  run down the drain.A staggering 100,000 litres of rainwater falls on the roof of every UK home every year.

The best way to maximise rainwater collection into a water butt is to fit the butt to a down pipe on your house so that you collect the water before it goes into the drain. Or, put it next to your veg patch for ease of use and collect rain direct from the skies.

You can buy a water butt from most garden centres or DIY stores - here are some installation tips:

• You can collect rainwater in any watertight receptacle as it falls.
• Fit a lid to prevent small animals from falling in and drowning.
• To make the most of your butt, connect it to the downpipe from your guttering. Many water butts come with a simple connection kits and is really easy to do.
• A water butt can be plastic or wooden. Some have a tap at the bottom of the barrel which makes it easy to fill a watering can or fix a hose.
• If your barrel doesn’t have a tap, you’ll have to scoop water out from the top. A lid of fine mesh will stop leaves and small animals from falling in – you don’t want to feed your garden guests in one place and drown them in another!

Simple maintenance

• Sometimes algae grows in the water, but avoid using chemicals to get rid of it as they won’t be good for wildlife. You can scoop it out by hand, or even empty the whole lot every now and then and give it a good scrub.
• If you don’t put a lid on your butt, remove leaves and twigs regularly and put in a plank so that animals can climb out.
• Next time there’s a hosepipe ban and not a cloud in the sky, your garden will thank you for a soaking!

There are  hundreds of other web-sites where you can find out more about choosing and fitting water-buts and buy them on-line. Here are just a few you might find useful:

http://www.waterwise.org.uk/reducing_water_wastage_in_the_uk/house_and_garden/water_butts.html

http://www.waterbuttsdirect.co.uk

http://www.thebarrelcompany.co.uk/

http://www.waterbuttwarehouse.co.uk

http://www.rainsmart.co.uk

PS I updated this blog from earlier this year which means some of the comments are from previous months but still interesting  so I have left them in - enjoy!

Yesterday in London the weather affected my life in an inconvenient way  - the heavens opened as I was driving around the M25 - it was like being in an Indian Monsoon with visibility minimal as the torrential rain just fell in bucket loads for about 20 minutes. http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/cgi-app/reports?MENU=UKForecast.

Meanwhile in some parts of India, some farmers are having their very existence threatened by too little rain as the monsoon this year has been a very mixed affair.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS-India-Monsoon-rain-too-late-for-sugarcane-rice/articleshow/4787640.cms

Wherever you live in the world and whatever your climate or weather, rain is crucial to our survival  - it feeds our crops to provide our food and is the life source that makes our bodies function.Check out what type of climate you live in http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/climatezones.html#zones

With more heavy rain forecast in the UK over the next 48 hours, it would be wise to make sure we capture as much of it as possible. and not it simply disapear down the drains.A staggering 100,000 litres of rainwater fall on the roof of every UK home every year.

Buying a water butt is the simplest way to harvest the rain and use it in your garden.

• Fit a lid to prevent small animals from falling in and drowning
• To make the most of your butt, connect it to the downpipe from your guttering. Many water butts come with a simple connection kits and it’s really easy to do.
• A water butt can be plastic or wooden. Some have a tap at the bottom of the barrel which makes it easy to fill a watering can or fix a hose.
• If your barrel doesn’t have a tap, you’ll have to scoop water out from the top. A lid of fine mesh will stop leaves and small animals from falling in – you don’t want to feed your garden guests in one place and drown them in another!

Check out these sites for more inspiration:

http://www.waterwise.org.uk/reducing_water_wastage_in_the_uk/house_and_garden/water_butts.html

http://www.waterbuttsdirect.co.uk